not feeling heat from stove

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Dec 22, 2010
38
Hartford, Connecticut
as i mentioned here before,my stove is a heritage. i'm new to the woodstove and been burning wood for the last 3 months.when it was first installed the heat was amazing, but i've been noticing the stove its not producing heat as it once was.it's just not the same comparing when it was first installed. i looked inside of it and noticed the ceramic baffle has 2 big holes and you can see the flames going through it,like a leak. i ordered the piece and i'm having it installed this weekend but my question is,would a broken baffle decline the performance of heat?, at first the stove heat the 2 floors and the past few weeks i had to turn on the heater the person changing the baffle is going to clean the stove too so hopefully that fix the problem.
 
With 2 big holes in your baffle, you aren't getting much if any secondary burn and that will indeed dramatically reduce the heat output of your EPA stove. With the new baffle you should be back to where you were when the stove was installed. Be careful loading wood so you don't break the new baffle.
 
johnstra said:
With 2 big holes in your baffle, you aren't getting much if any secondary burn and that will indeed dramatically reduce the heat output of your EPA stove. With the new baffle you should be back to where you were when the stove was installed. Be careful loading wood so you don't break the new baffle.
thank you very much. i've been buying a half cord of wood every week. all to waste,thank you for the fast reply.
 
The fact that you're buying wood every week could also be part of the problem. If the wood isn't adequatly seasoned, you just won't get good heat from this stove. Hardwood requires at least 1 full year of seasoning after it's been split and stacked. Oak generally needs even more time. So be picky about the wood you're buying. The best thing you can do is spend $20 on a moisture meter and verify that the wood is dry. Split a piece and check it in the middle with the meter. If it's over 20% moisture, you're not going to get great heat. Less than 20% and you're good to go.

I brought home 1/2 cord of oak that looked very dry. Big splits with deep checking on the ends. But when I checked it, it was over 25%. So I stacked it for next year and found more wood.
 
johnstra said:
The fact that you're buying wood every week could also be part of the problem. If the wood isn't adequatly seasoned, you just won't get good heat from this stove. Hardwood requires at least 1 full year of seasoning after it's been split and stacked. Oak generally needs even more time. So be picky about the wood you're buying. The best thing you can do is spend $20 on a moisture meter and verify that the wood is dry. Split a piece and check it in the middle with the meter. If it's over 20% moisture, you're not going to get great heat. Less than 20% and you're good to go.

I brought home 1/2 cord of oak that looked very dry. Big splits with deep checking on the ends. But when I checked it, it was over 25%. So I stacked it for next year and found more wood.
I thought the same too,i'm skipping the guy i buy it from,local kid.but i felt some wood kind of heavy so i'm not buying it from him this time.
 
Yeap it is the wood. And FYI, any wood you buy this time of year is going to be wet.
 
Bad wood and busted baffles will make that stove perform like crap.

I can definitely see how you would be disappointed with heat output.

-SF
 
Last ditch effort to get you through winter. Stack the wood next to stove. After 2-3 days wood should dry enough to let you get some decent heat out of it. Any chance you can get some pallet wood or off cuts? You gotta make sure you got some dry wood for next year. You better start now.
 
i have about 2 cords stored now but its green as a leaf,my plans is building a woodshed.
just bought a chainsaw and i'll be on the hunt this spring.anyone knows in the hartford area who has nice dry wood that i can buy now??
 
It's been posted before. Try trading your green wood for dry wood. 1-cord will probably get you through this year. Trade your 2 green cords for 1 dry cord or more if you can. Someone on here can hook you up. Hell you might make a life time friend too. Post it in for sale or trade forum here.
 
johnstra said:
pend $20 on a moisture meter and verify that the wood is dry. Split a piece and check it in the middle with the meter. If it's over 20% moisture, you're not going to get great heat. Less than 20% and you're good to go.
That's what I thought when I recently got a moisture meter, but my 20% wood (Oak and Ash) doesn't seem to be completely dry. I'm going to be shooting for 15%.
 
You should also consider why your baffle has 2 big holes in it after only 3 months of burning.
Most baffles will last 3 - 4 years and even longer with care.
Are you throwing splits in, trying to pack it too tight?
Just trying to help avoid the same problem early in the season next year.
 
is running perfect now. every load last a long time now. i'm getting the burn rate i've been looking for. just a little piece of board can make the whole difference. the guy showed me how to change it in a future accident,hopefully not.
house is nice and warm.
thank you guys.
 
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